Checklist for Planning Your Next Business Meeting

Planning the ideal corporate event requires a committee of talented individuals to brainstorm venues, dates, and events. Is the conference going to focus primarily on education or training on a new process, or will it be an opportunity for employees and clients or reps to get together? Planning a corporate business meeting may require the use of hotel conference rooms to accommodate the guests. Here is a checklist to help you

plan your next business meeting.

Establish Dates

Choosing a Hotel

TO PLAN A CORPORATE EVENT OR MEETING, select multiple dates ideally one year or more in advance, for a large conference. A smaller gathering can be planned a few weeks ahead. Hotels book conference rooms quickly and may be unable to accommodate your event if you do not book early enough. CONSIDER PLANNING A CORPORATE EVENT OVER A HOLIDAY WEEKEND, especially in a downtown location since you can typically get great rates, but it may limit the number of guests that choose to attend. Also, check the event dates of industry associations so you do not plan your corporate event over the same dates, or too close together. Some companies can only attend conferences twice a year or quarterly, so it is important to plan your event at a time that is separate from other conferences in your industry.

THE OVERALL EXPERIENCE OF THE EVENT will depend on the venue. Failure to choose a location that is accommodating to your guests can leave people less than satisfied. A downtown business central location is a great option to consider as downtown city centers always have several restaurants, attractions, stores, and bars to enjoy.

CONSIDER A BOUTIQUE HOTEL as it can enhance the conference experience. Boutique hotels are intimate, allowing employees and guests to get acquainted with each other. This provides the opportunity to give your conference a personal feeling as guests will enjoy the atmosphere provided by a boutique hotel as large hotels often have a busy, slightly less personal experience.

Budgeting Correctly

Agenda

A MAJOR ELEMENT OF AN EFFECTIVE CONFERENCE comes down to your ability to budget for the event successfully. Create a budget well in advance that will accommodate the costs of the hotel, catering, transportation, and entertainment.

DON’T FORGET TO INCLUDE staff costs that relate to transportation to get to and from the hotel and surrounding areas. Marketing costs can include printing, online promotion, radio and print ads, and other expenses to promote and hold your event.

NO MATTER HOW LARGE OR SMALL YOUR EVENT IS, creating a complete program agenda based upon a clear purpose in advance is critical to the success of the event. Employees and conference attendees need a good reason to visit the conference. State your conference goals clearly.

ORGANIZE THE EVENT WITH RELEVANT SPEAKERS AND RESEARCHERS in your industry to present new and pertinent information to your audience. Bringing at least one well-known speaker to the event may help you obtain more attention for the event, which brings more conference attendees. Bringing the right presenters and key attendees to the event will help drive people to your conference as they want to meet industry leaders.

Online Registration

Order Equipment

IN TODAY’S INTERNET-DRIVEN WORLD, it is vital to create a conference-specific landing page for the conference. Customers will look here to register for the conference, and to learn updates about the conference. Work with the boutique hotel to work out room accommodations and booking arrangements for conference attendees. USE THE PRE-REGISTRATION INFORMATION to start the registration process for attendees, and to input their information into your system. If you are accepting online payments for the registration, make sure you are using a secured server. Use a trustworthy online bank to manage all the payments, and keep your customers information confidential.

WORK WITH THE HOTEL to bring in additional microphones and other audiovisual equipment if it is needed. Always check to make sure that you have technical equipment ready before the meeting starts so you do not need to search for it during a presentation. Test the equipment an hour before the presentation to ensure it is working effectively.

Signage

Agenda

HELP THE ATTENDEES BY USING CLEAR SIGNAGE at the event. Name badges can help people network effectively. Will you provide booth space for some of the guests to display their company’s products or services? This is another item to consider as it does take up additional room at the event. Also, several boutique hotels have fully-equipped business centers to make it easier to print out last-minute information.

ONCE THE CONFERENCE IS OVER, follow-up with the attendees to find out how they liked the event. Did they appreciate the convenience of a boutique hotel compared to a large venue? How did they like the speakers? Was the staff accommodating to their needs? Gather plenty of information from the conference to help you make the next conference even better for the conference attendees.

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